Decisions concerning grades, degrees, promotions, evaluations, merit increases, and awards must be made free from any trace of bias or favor. Such decisions become suspect when made by those who have a consenting (romantic or sexual) relationship which is beyond the purely professional or academic one with those who are the object of those decisions. Even the mere appearance of bias may seriously disrupt the academic or work environment affecting others who are a part of it.

Commonly accepted standards of professional behavior and ethics require that faculty members not hold evaluative power over any student with whom they have a consenting (romantic or sexual) relationship. Faculty members should not initiate or accept such a relationship with a student over whom they have an evaluative role. Should such a relationship exist between a faculty member and a student, the faculty member must remove him/herself from the evaluation of the student's work.

Commonly accepted standards of professional behavior and ethics require that administrators, supervisors, coaches, and other unclassified personnel not hold evaluative power over any student or employee with whom they have a consenting (romantic or sexual) relationship. A supervisor who is in a consenting (romantic or sexual) relationship with another individual over whom he or she has evaluative responsibility must remove him/herself from personnel decisions concerning that individual, such as appointment, retention, promotion, discipline, tenure or salary.

When complaints arise from situations where such relationships are not handled as described in items 2 and 3, the faculty member, administrator or supervisor shall be considered to be in possible violation of the University policy on Affirmative Action and the complaint processed as provided in said policy.